Apparatus for treating pharmaceutical waste

ABSTRACT

A compact system for treating pharmaceutical waste at a location at which the pharmaceutical waste is disposed includes a waste influent tank configured to hold and discharge a fluid containing pharmaceutical waste, a first container configured to hold and discharge hydrogen peroxide utilized in a chemical reaction to treat the pharmaceutical waste, a second container configured to hold and discharge aqueous iron solution utilized in a chemical reaction to treat the pharmaceutical waste, a neutralizer tank in which the chemical reaction is carried out, and a drain container configured to receive treated fluid. The system excludes a UV light source.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/739,422 filed on Dec. 19, 2012, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to degrading and eliminatingconcentrations of drugs from water. More specifically, the disclosurerelates to a compact drainage system and method for treating, at alocation of disposal, pharmaceutical waste contained in waste water.

BACKGROUND

Waste water contamination is an important issue, especially in hospital,dental, home care and other settings where pharmaceutical waste iscommonly discarded. Healthcare workers or patients often dispose ofpharmaceutical waste incorrectly, often unintentionally, which can leadto contaminated waste water. For example, items that contain toxicchemicals are routinely poured down sinks or flushed down toilets. Sincemost waste water treatment facilities do not specifically treat forthese chemicals, this can lead to problems of pollution ifpharmaceutical waste makes its way into public water supplies.

The EPA has identified 1,500 publicly owned treatment works (“POTWs”)that are required to have a pretreatment program, and another 13,500facilities that are not required to have a pretreatment program. Giventhe breadth of potential contaminants, the EPA focuses on the followingwaste materials: mercury, primarily from dental facilities, but alsofrom some medical equipment devices; and unused pharmaceuticals. Unusedpharmaceuticals include animal and human drugs such as wasted pills,excess liquid formulations (injectables and swallowed) and spilledbiohazards. Current best management practices include incineration ordisposal of the pharmaceutical waste in a solid-waste landfill. However,most pharmaceutical waste is still disposed by being poured down a sink.

Common pharmaceuticals that are considered “hazardous wastes” under theResource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) include epinephrine,nitroglycerin, warfarin, nicotine, and many chemotherapy agents. Thesepharmaceutical waste items are subject to unique and expensive disposalrequirements, since the EPA regulates the generation, storage,transportation, treatment, and disposal of any pharmaceutical wastedefined as hazardous waste by RCRA.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to a compact system for treating pharmaceuticalwaste at a location at which the pharmaceutical waste is disposed. Thesystem includes a waste influent tank configured to hold and discharge afluid containing pharmaceutical waste, a first container configured tohold and discharge hydrogen peroxide utilized in a chemical reaction totreat the pharmaceutical waste, a second container configured to holdand discharge aqueous iron solution utilized in a chemical reaction totreat the pharmaceutical waste, a neutralizer tank in which the chemicalreaction is carried out, and a drain container configured to receivetreated fluid. The system excludes a UV light source. In someembodiments, the system is configured to be provided in a space beneatha sink. In other embodiments, the system is a contained system on atransportable cart.

Another embodiment relates to a method of treating pharmaceutical waste.The method includes providing pharmaceutical waste in a waste influenttank, providing hydrogen peroxide in a first container, providingaqueous iron solution in a second container, discharging thepharmaceutical waste, the hydrogen peroxide and the aqueous ironsolution to a neutralizer tank, carrying out a chemical reaction betweenthe pharmaceutical waste, the hydrogen peroxide and the aqueous ironsolution within the neutralizer tank, and discharging a treated fluid toa drain container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will become more fully understood from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a compact drainage system for degradingand eliminating concentrations of drugs disposed by flushing, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front, perspective view of the compact drainage system,according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a back, perspective view of the compact drainage system,according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of a compact drainage system for degradingand eliminating concentrations of drugs disposed by flushing, accordingto a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front, perspective view of the compact drainage system witha housing removed, according to the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a back, perspective view of the compact drainage system with ahousing removed, according to the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a front, perspective view of the compact drainage system witha housing having a closed door, according to the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a front, perspective view of the compact drainage system witha housing having an open door, according to the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a chromatogram illustrating an initial drug mixture, accordingto an experiment conducted utilizing the compact drainage system of FIG.1.

FIG. 10 is a chromatogram illustrating a filtered sample, according toan experiment conducted utilizing the compact drainage system of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION

A compact drainage system 100 includes a waste influent tank 10, ahydrogen peroxide container 20, an aqueous iron container 30, aneutralizer tank 40, a water container 50, a static flow mixer 60, abulk filter 70, a carbon filter 80, and a drain container 90. At leastsome of the components of the compact drainage system 100 (e.g., thewaste influent tank 10, the hydrogen peroxide container 20, the aqueousiron container 30, the neutralizer tank 40, the static flow mixer 60,the bulk filter 70 and/or the carbon filter 80) may be included in ahousing 120 having a door 121 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The housing 120 maybe lifted up to allow complete access to the compact drainage system100.

In one embodiment, the compact drainage system 100 has a size similar tothat of a standard garbage disposal configured to fit under a sink. Forexample, the compact drainage system 100 may have a length of 19.89inches (505 mm), a width of 15.17 inches (385 mm) and a height of 17.67inches (449 mm) Alternatively, other dimensions may be used. The compactsize of the compact drainage system 100 allows the compact drainagesystem 100 to treat pharmaceutical waste at a location at which thepharmaceutical waste is disposed (i.e., at a sink if the pharmaceuticalwaste is poured down the sink), and by a person that disposed of thepharmaceutical waste. Thus, the pharmaceutical waste will be treated onsite, instead of offsite at a waste water treatment facility or publiclyowned treatment works. This ensures that the appropriate procedures fordegrading and eliminating the pharmaceutical waste are followed, andprevents pharmaceutical waste from being discharged into public watersupplies. In another illustrative embodiment, the pharmaceutical wastemay be treated at least in part via a Fenton reaction that occurs in theabsence of ultraviolet (UV) light. In use, the compact drainage system100 will utilize multiple pulses of Fenton's reagent per treatment cycleto achieve destruction of the pharmaceutical waste. The specifics of theFenton reaction are described in more detail below.

The size of the compact drainage system 100 may be dictated by the spaceavailable and a desired life of the system components. Specifically, thesmaller the size of the individual components, the more frequently thevarious components will have to be changed.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-8, the waste influent tank 10 is configured tocollect pharmaceutical waste and introduce the pharmaceutical waste intothe compact drainage system 100. The waste influent tank 10 is made of asuitable material that is impervious to the chemical compounds presentin the pharmaceutical waste to be neutralized. For example, the wasteinfluent tank 10 can be made of stainless steel, polyurethane,polyethylene or any other suitable material. The waste influent tank 10can be any suitable shape. For example, the waste influent tank 10 canhave a rectangular cross section or a spherical cross section. In oneembodiment, a bottom portion of the waste influent tank 10 is conical orotherwise substantially funnel-shaped to allow the contents of the wasteinfluent tank 10 to be introduced into the compact drainage system 100at a controlled rate. The funnel of the waste influent tank 10 may bedisposed, for example, at an opening in a top surface of the housing 120such that pharmaceutical waste may be introduced to the waste influenttank even when the housing 120 is in a position covering the compactdrainage system 100. The waste influent tank 10 may be of any size orshape, provided that there is free draining and the size and shapeselected allow for the introduction of level sensors (described infurther detail below) to report when a reaction quantity (i.e., apredetermined level of pharmaceutical waste) has been reached. Forexample, the reaction quantity may be 1 L, although other levels may beused.

The waste influent tank 10 may include at least one level sensor 11Aconfigured to measure a level of fluid (i.e., water and pharmaceuticalwaste) poured down a sink drain. In one embodiment, the waste influenttank 10 has a first level sensor 11A and a second level sensor 11B. Anyknown level sensor may be utilized, provided that the level sensor iscapable of functioning within a stainless steel tank, has a fastresponse time, and provides for minimal hysteresis. For example, thelevel sensors 11A and 11B may be a Cosense LL-01 level sensor.

In one embodiment, the level sensors 11A and 11B are capable ofoutputting an alarm signal to a control circuit 200 (described in moredetail below) when a predetermined level of fluid has been reached. Thealarm signal may trigger an interlock (not illustrated) that preventsadditional fluid from being added to the waste influent tank 10 untilthe level of fluid within the waste influent tank 10 has been reducedbelow the predetermined level.

The waste influent tank 10 may optionally include a pre-filter or coarsescreen (not illustrated) at an outlet of the waste influent tank 10 toprevent coarse matter, including, but not limited to, insolublepharmaceutical waste, from entering the compact drainage system 100.

A first pump 12 is located downstream from the waste influent tank 10.The first pump 12 is configured to transport contents of the wasteinfluent tank 10 to the neutralizer tank 40 at a predetermined rate. Forexample, the predetermined rate may be 600 mL/minute, although otherrates may be used. A flow rate of the first pump 12 may be varied usingsoftware that allows the control circuit 200 to program flow rates in,for example, 0.01 mL increments. Therefore, the first pump 12 is capableof flow rate calibration across a broad spectrum of flow rates. Thepredetermined rate can depend on the size of the waste influent tank 10and the overall size of the compact drainage system 100.

In one embodiment, the first pump 12 is activated automatically when thelevel sensor 11A and/or the level sensor 11B determines that contents ofthe waste influent tank 10 have reached a predetermined level (i.e.,height within the waste influent tank 10). In another embodiment, thefirst pump 12 is activated manually by a user via the control circuit200 (described in more detail below). The first pump 12 may be activatedmanually, for example, by a wall switch such as that typically used toactivate lights, or by a foot pedal located adjacent to the compactdrainage system 100. In yet another embodiment, the first pump 12 may beset to an “always on” mode of operation in which contents of the wasteinfluent tank 10 are pumped to the neutralizer tank 40 immediately uponentering the waste influent tank 10. The “always on” mode of operationis beneficial for high volume pharmaceutical waste generatingenvironments, such as a hospital. The first pump 12 may be powered by abattery or by a known, external power source.

The hydrogen peroxide container 20 is configured to hold and dispensehydrogen peroxide. In one embodiment, the hydrogen peroxide is 30%reagent grade hydrogen peroxide. A size of the hydrogen peroxidecontainer 20 is dependent on a number of batches of Fenton's reagentutilized to treat concentrations of pharmaceutical waste. For example,the hydrogen peroxide container 20 may be capable of holding 500 mL ofhydrogen peroxide. In an illustrative embodiment, the hydrogen peroxidecontainer 20 is a glass or polyethylene container with a vented cap. Thehydrogen peroxide container 20 may be hermetically sealed. The hydrogenperoxide container 20 may include a composite bar code, linear bar codeor RFID in order to verify authenticity of the hydrogen peroxidecontainer 20 and the contents thereof. The hydrogen peroxide container20 may be stored, for example, in a compartment or on a shelf mounted onthe door 121 of the housing 120. This configuration allows for easyaccess to the hydrogen peroxide container 20 to facilitate refill orreplacement of the hydrogen peroxide container 20.

The hydrogen peroxide container 20 may include at least one pressuresensor 21 configured to measure a pressure of the hydrogen peroxide heldin the hydrogen peroxide container 20. Any known pressure sensor may beutilized. The pressure sensor 21 is configured to determine fluid levelin the hydrogen peroxide container 20. If there is insufficient fluid,the reaction will not progress, and the pharmaceutical waste will not beneutralized. Specifically, the pressure sensor 21 reports a fluidpressure at a bottom of the hydrogen peroxide container 20. In oneembodiment, the pressure sensor 21 is capable of outputting an alarmsignal to the control circuit 200 (described in more detail below) whena predetermined pressure level has been reached. When the predeterminedpressure level has been reached, there is not adequate amounts ofhydrogen peroxide present in the tank for the reaction to progress.

A second pump 22 is located downstream from the hydrogen peroxidecontainer 20. The second pump 22 is configured to transport hydrogenperoxide from the hydrogen peroxide container 20 to the neutralizer tank40 at a predetermined rate prescribed by a chemical reaction used totreat the pharmaceutical waste (described in more detail below). Forexample, the predetermined rate may be 50 mL/minute, although otherrates may be used. A flow rate of the second pump 22 may be varied usingsoftware that allows the control circuit 200 to program flow rates in,for example, 0.01 mL increments. Therefore, the second pump 22 iscapable of flow rate calibration across a broad spectrum of flow rates.The predetermined rate may depend on the overall size of the compactdrainage system 100 and the rate of discharge from the waste influenttank 10.

The aqueous iron container 30 is configured to hold and dispense aqueousiron. The aqueous iron may be, for example, ferrous sulfateheptahydrate. In one embodiment, the aqueous iron container 30 is aplastic bag, similar to that used for intravenous (IV) therapy. Theaqueous iron container 30 may be hermetically sealed to reduce theformation of a precipitate. A size of the aqueous iron container 30 isdependent on a number of batches of Fenton's reagent utilized to treatconcentrations of pharmaceutical waste. For example, the aqueous ironcontainer 30 may be capable of holding 250 mL to 1 L of aqueous iron.Alternatively, other capacities may be used. The aqueous iron container30 may include a composite bar code, linear bar code or RFID in order toverify authenticity of the aqueous iron container 30 and the contentsthereof. The aqueous iron container 30 may be stored, for example, in acompartment or on a shelf mounted on the door 121 of the housing 120.This configuration allows for easy access to the aqueous iron container30 to facilitate refill or replacement of the aqueous iron container 30.

The aqueous iron container 30 may include at least one load cell 31configured to measure a weight of the aqueous iron held in the aqueousiron container 30. Any known standard beam load scale may be utilized,for example, an Omega LCAE-1KG single point load cell. The load cell 31may provide information on a volume of aqueous iron in the aqueous ironcontainer 30. Specifically, in an embodiment in which the aqueous ironcontainer 30 is a plastic bag, instead of a bottle, the load cell 31 isconfigured to determine if the aqueous iron container 30 has an adequatequantity (i.e., mass) of aqueous iron for the chemical reaction used toneutralize the pharmaceutical waste. In one embodiment, the load cell 31is capable of outputting an alarm signal to the control circuit 200(described in more detail below) when a predetermined load level hasbeen reached.

A third pump 32 is located downstream from the aqueous iron container30. The third pump 32 is configured to transport aqueous iron from theaqueous iron container 30 to the neutralizer tank 40 at a predeterminedrate prescribed by the chemical reaction used to treat thepharmaceutical waste (described in more detail below). For example, thepredetermined rate may be 50 mL/minute, although other rates may beused. A flow rate of the third pump 32 may be varied using software thatallows the control circuit 200 to program flow rates in, for example,0.01 mL increments. Therefore, the third pump 32 is capable of flow ratecalibration across a broad spectrum of flow rates. The predeterminedrate may depend on the overall size of the compact drainage system 100and the rate of discharge from the waste influent tank 10. In oneembodiment, flow rates of the second pump 22 and the third pump 32 areprogrammed such that a 1:3 ratio of hydrogen peroxide to aqueous iron istransported to the neutralizer tank 40.

The waste influent tank 10, the hydrogen peroxide container 20, and theaqueous iron container 30 are located in parallel to each other in anillustrative embodiment. Prior to entering the neutralizer tank 40, thefluid being discharged from the waste influent tank 10, the hydrogenperoxide container 20, and the aqueous iron container 30 pass through atleast one check valve, such that the fluid cannot return to itsrespective source.

The chemical reaction used to treat the pharmaceutical waste takes placein the neutralizer tank 40. The neutralizer tank 40 is made of asuitable material that is impervious to the chemical compounds presentin the pharmaceutical waste to be neutralized. For example, theneutralizer tank 40 can be made of stainless steel, polyethylene,fluorinated polyethylene, or any other suitable material. In anillustrative embodiment, the neutralizer is made of stainless steel forease of placement of volume sensors, to be tolerant of any temperatureexcursion that occurs during the chemical reaction, and to be tolerantof any vigorous reaction.

The chemical reaction utilized to neutralize the pharmaceutical wastecan be, for example, a chemical reaction that utilizes Fenton's reagentthat occurs in the absence of ultraviolet (UV) light. One of ordinaryskill in the art would appreciate that Fenton's reagent is a solution ofhydrogen peroxide and an iron catalyst that is used to oxidizecontaminants in waste waters. The hydrogen peroxide and the ironcatalyst are provided by the hydrogen peroxide container 20 and theaqueous iron container 30, respectively, while the waste water (i.e.,fluid containing pharmaceutical waste) is provided by the waste influenttank 10. The chemical reaction will be described in further detailbelow.

The neutralizer tank 40 may include at least one level sensor 41Aconfigured to measure a level of fluid within the neutralizer tank 40.In one embodiment, the neutralizer tank 40 has a first level sensor 41Aand a second level sensor 41B. The level sensor 41A and/or the levelsensor 41B also serves to verify a volume of the neutralizer tank 40before reagents are added from the hydrogen peroxide container 20 andthe aqueous iron container 30, to confirm that the neutralizer tank 40empties at an end of a cycle, and to verify that the neutralizer tank 40is not partially full at a beginning of the cycle. Any known levelsensor may be utilized. In one embodiment, the level sensors 41A and 41Bare capable of outputting an alarm signal to the control circuit 200(described in more detail below) when a predetermined level of fluid hasbeen reached. The alarm signal may trigger an interlock (notillustrated) that prevents additional fluid from being added to theneutralizer tank 40 until the level of fluid within the neutralizer tank40 has been reduced below the predetermined level.

The neutralizer tank 40 may also include a temperature sensor 43configured to measure a temperature of the fluid within the neutralizertank 40. The temperature sensor 43 may provide an indication of the rateat which the chemical reaction is taking place within the neutralizertank 40.

A circulation pump 42 is located downstream from the neutralizer tank40. The circulation pump 42 is configured to transport treated wastewater from an outlet of the neutralizer tank 40 to the bulk filter 70.The circulation pump may also serve to mix the contents of theneutralizing tank 40 during a reaction or processing cycle. Once thereaction or processing cycle is complete, a valve opens to allow thecirculation pump 42 to empty the neutralizing tank 40 to the filterarray (e.g., bulk filter 70 and carbon filter 80). The control circuit200 may be programmed to alter a pump speed of the circulation pump 42in order to maximize exposure to a carbon filter 80. One of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that a pump speed of any of the pumpsdescribed herein may be varied by the control circuit 200 in order tomaximize exposure to the carbon filter 80.

The compact drainage system 100 further includes a water container 50configured to hold water. For example, the water container 50 may hold 2L of water, although other volumes may be used. The water container 50may include a fitting configured to connect to a water source such as ahospital water supply. In other embodiments, the water container 50 maybe manually refilled. In some embodiments, the compact drainage system100 utilizes a 1:1 ratio of pharmaceutical waste to water prior tobeginning a reaction or treatment cycle. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and8, the water container 50 may be disposed external to the housing 120.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the water container 50is located upstream from the circulation pump 42, in parallel with theneutralizer tank 40. In addition, the water container 50 is configuredto dispense water in a first pathway such that water can be circulatedin a loop from the outlet of the neutralizer tank 40 to an inlet of theneutralizer tank 40, or in a second pathway such that water can be addedto the treated waste water from the outlet of the neutralizer tank 40,to further dilute the treated waste water prior to being introduced tothe bulk filter 70.

In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-8, the water container50 is located upstream from the waste influent tank 10. A circulationpump 52 may be located downstream from the water container 50. Thecirculation pump 52 is configured to transport water from the watercontainer 50 to either the waste influent tank 10 or the neutralizertank 40 at a predetermined rate prescribed by a chemical reaction usedto treat the pharmaceutical waste (described in more detail below) or anamount of water to be used in a cleaning cycle. For example, thepredetermined rate may be 1200 mL/minute, although other rates may beused. A flow rate of the circulation pump 52 may be varied usingsoftware that allows the control circuit 200 to program flow rates in,for example, 0.01 mL increments. Therefore, the circulation pump 52 iscapable of flow rate calibration across a broad spectrum of flow rates.The predetermined rate may depend on the overall size of the compactdrainage system 100 and the rate of discharge from the waste influenttank 10.

In both embodiments, the water stored in the water container 50 may alsobe used to clean the compact drainage system 100. In one embodiment, auser can program the control circuit 200 such that the compact drainagesystem 100 automatically runs a cleaning cycle after each reactioncycle.

In both embodiments, the water container 50 may include a pressuresensor 51 configured to measure a pressure of the water held in thewater container 50. Specifically, the pressure sensor 51 is used as alevel sensor utilizing a pressure of the water at the bottom of thewater container 50. In some embodiments, it is preferable to use apressure sensor as opposed to a level sensor because a pressure sensorhas no moving mechanical parts and provides a repeatable signal orresult. Any known pressure sensor may be utilized. In one embodiment,the pressure sensor 51 is connected to a tube that runs from a cap ofthe water container 50 to a bottom of the water container 50. In oneembodiment, the pressure sensor 51 is capable of outputting an alarmsignal to the control circuit 200 (described in more detail below) whena predetermined pressure level has been reached.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, a static flow mixer 60 is configured tomix waste water discharged from the neutralizer tank 40 and waterdischarged from the water container 50. In some embodiments, the staticflow mixer 60 may be omitted (not illustrated), provided that adequatemixing is achieved by the pumps. The static flow mixer 60 may beincluded to reduce the size of the compact drainage system 100 byallowing for the use of smaller or fewer pumps. In addition, the staticflow mixer 60 may be included to ensure proper mixing of the hydrogenperoxide and the aqueous iron with the pharmaceutical waste in theneutralizer tank 40.

The static flow mixer 60 includes at least one mixer element enclosed ina housing. The mixer element may be, for example, a plurality of bafflesor a single helical mixer. The static flow mixer 60 is disposed withinthe first pathway between the outlet of the neutralizer tank 40 and theinlet of the neutralizer tank 40, such that fluid being circulated fromthe outlet of the neutralizer tank 40 flows through the static flowmixer 60, prior to entering the inlet of the neutralizer tank 40.

In both embodiments, after the waste water is treated in the neutralizertank 40, the circulation pump 42 may pump the treated waste water to thebulk filter 70, which is configured to filter any solid pharmaceuticalwaste or byproduct of the chemical reaction that took place in theneutralizer tank 40 that remains in the treated waste water. Anycommercially available filter cartridge that has a high capacity may beutilized as the bulk filter 70. Specifically, the bulk filter 70 may beselected from the Pall catalog based on flow rate and contaminateparticle size expected from the chemical reaction. The bulk filter 70may be, for example, a high capacity polymer filter, a cloth filter, apaper filter, or a ceramic filter. In one example, the bulk filter 70 a5 micron sediment filter capable of holding 5 lbs of sediment. Inanother example, the bulk filter 70 is capable of holding 20 lbs ofsediment. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a sizeand a capacity of the bulk filter 70 may be selected according to thesize and requirements of the compact drainage system 100. The filtered,treated waste water is then passed through the carbon filter 80.

In one embodiment, the bulk filter 70 and the carbon filter 80 arearranged in series. In another embodiment, the bulk filter 70 and thecarbon filter 80 are arranged in parallel. In other embodiments, thecompact drainage system 100 may include either the bulk filter 70 or thecarbon filter 80, but not both. In yet another embodiment, the compactdrainage system 100 may include a valve that allows cleaning effluentfrom the neutralizer tank 40 and the cleaning cycle to be filtered by aseparate filter array (not illustrated) The separate filter array mayinclude a bulk filter, a carbon filter or a combination thereof.

The carbon filter 80 may include activated carbon, coal, charcoal orresin beads configured to remove oxidizing agents from the treated wastewater by a physical or chemical adsorption mechanism and to removedissolved organics by physical adsorption. The activated carbon can beused, for example, as granules or in monolithic block form. The carbonfilter 80 is selected to maximize removal of the types of compounds thatrepresent the active drug ingredients in the pharmaceutical waste of thewaste influent tank 10. For example, the carbon filter 80 may be anoptimized version of a granular activated carbon filter, a coal filter,or a resin bead filter.

After passing through the bulk filter 70 and/or the carbon filter 80,the filtered, treated waste water passes through a check valve to thedrain container 90, which is configured to hold and/or discharge thefiltered, treated waste water. In one embodiment, the drain container 90may automatically discharge the filtered, treated waste water to a drainconfigured to transport the waste water to a waste water treatmentfacility or publicly owned treatment works when the contents reach apredetermined level or at a scheduled time. In another embodiment,contents of the drain container 90 can be manually disposed of. In someembodiments, an additional filter array including, for example, anadditional bulk filter and/or carbon filter may be used to furtherfilter effluent discharged by the drain container 90. The draincontainer 90 may include permanent fittings configured to discharge theeffluent into a drainage system, for example, a hospital plumbingsystem. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the drain container 90 may bedisposed external to the housing 120.

Optionally, the compact drainage system 100 may also include a drip pan110 configured to collect any fluid or solid material that leaks fromthe compact drainage system 100. The drip pan 110 may span a length ofthe entire compact drainage system 100, or the drip pan 110 may span aportion of the length of the compact drainage system 100.

In one embodiment, the drip pan 110 may include a leak detector 111capable of outputting an alarm signal to the control circuit 200(described in more detail below) when a predetermined level of fluid hasbeen reached in the drip pan 110. The alarm signal may trigger aninterlock (not illustrated) that prevents operation of the compactdrainage system 100 until the leak has been located and repaired. Thealarm signal may be capable of identifying a location of the leak. Inanother embodiment, the leak detector 111 provides an alternative,visual indicator of a leak, such as a change in color.

The control circuit 200 is configured to execute one or more computerprograms to perform actions by operating on input data and generatingoutput. The control circuit 200 includes one or more memory devices forstoring instructions and data. The control circuit 200 may be configuredto monitor the various system levels detected by the various sensorsdescribed above either remotely or locally. In addition, the controlcircuit 200 may be configured to remotely or locally activate ordeactivate one or more of the pumps described above, or open or close avalve disposed in the compact drainage system 100 in order to regulateflow of the waste water through the various components of the compactdrainage system 100. This will allow a user to remotely or locallyprogram, for example, an amount of a reagent dispensed per pulse, anumber of pulses per reaction or treatment cycle, a duration of areaction or treatment cycle, a number of cleaning cycles and/or aduration of each cleaning cycle. The control circuit 200 may also beconfigured to receive alarms from the various sensors described aboveand start and stop discharge processes accordingly. The control circuit200 may also be programmed for remote or local execution of systemdiagnostics or troubleshooting procedures.

The control circuit 200 may be configured to output various systemlevels, for example, volume dispensed from each container or a level,temperature, or pressure of each container to a user interface 300. Inone embodiment, the user interface 300 is configured to allow a user toenter commands to be processed by the control circuit 200. In otherembodiment, the user interface 300 is only configured to displayinformation. In some embodiments, all functions of the components of thecompact drainage system 100 will be automatic to a user with theexception of placing pharmaceutical waste in the waste influent tank 100and starting a reaction or treatment cycle. In other words, programmingof the control circuit 200 may allow the compact drainage system 100 tocomplete all functions without user input other than the user fillingthe waste influent tank 10 with pharmaceutical waste and starting thereaction or treatment cycle. The user interface 300 may include LEDlights indicating, for example, whether the compact drainage system 100is ready to process waste, whether the waste influent tank 10 is full,whether the reagent levels in the hydrogen peroxide container 20 or theaqueous iron container 30 are low, whether any component of the compactdrainage system 100 has malfunctioned or whether an incompatiblehydrogen peroxide container 20 or aqueous iron container 30 has beeninstalled. In the event that a component of the drainage system 100 hasmalfunctioned, the user interface 300 may indicate an error codespecific to the malfunction.

Any of the operations described herein can be performed bycomputer-readable (or computer-executable) instructions that are storedon a computer-readable medium such as the memory of the control circuit200. The computer-readable medium can be a computer memory, database, orother storage medium that is capable of storing such instructions. Uponexecution of the computer-readable instructions by a computing devicesuch as the control circuit 200 or a computer in communication with thecontrol circuit 200, the instructions can cause the computing device toperform the operations described herein. For example, thecomputer-readable medium of the control circuit 200 may tabulate data,maintain data history in the memory, and enable reporting of allfunctions of each component of the compact drainage system 100. Thecomputer readable medium may be connected to a central processing unithaving wireless compatibility.

A chemical reaction utilized to treat the waste water will now bedescribed. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyknown chemical reaction may be utilized to degrade and eliminatepharmaceutical waste by replacing the hydrogen container 20 and theaqueous iron container 30 with the appropriate chemicals. For example,the chemical reaction may include the use of Fenton's reagent as anoxidant for the pharmaceutical waste. In some embodiments, the reactionof the pharmaceutical waste with the Fenton's reagent (hydrogen peroxideand an iron (II) to generate a hydroxyl free radical species) is carriedout in the absence of UV light. Accordingly, any system or apparatusdescribed herein may be configured such that it excludes a UV lightsource, according to some embodiments. As such, the following example isonly meant to be illustrative.

EXAMPLE

Ferrous Sulfate Heptahydrate Solution—13.9 grams of ferrous sulfateheptahydrate was weighed and placed into a 50 mL volumetric flask. Waterwas added to the 50 mL mark and the solution swirled to completedissolution. The aqueous iron solution was placed in the aqueous ironcontainer 30.

Warfarin sodium solution—1.00 gram of warfarin sodium was weighed into a500 mL volumetric flask. The warfarin sodium was dissolved in 500 mL of0.85% saline to provide a concentration of 2 mg/mL.

Diltiazem solution—0.50 gram of diltiazem HCl was weighed into a 500 mLvolumetric flask and dissolved into 500 mL of 0.85% saline to provide aconcentration of 1 mg/mL.

Hydrocodone solution—1.00 gram hydrocodone bitartrate was weighed into a500 mL volumetric flask and dissolved into 500 mL of 0.85% saline toprovide a concentration of 2 mg/mL.

Prior to the start of the experiment, water was run through the compactdrainage system 100 and then pumped through the carbon filter 80. The pHof the carbon filtered water was found to be 3.05. The initial pH of thewater was 7.7.

The warfarin sodium solution was poured into a 2 liter Erlenmeyer flask,followed by the hydrocodone solution, then the diltiazem solutionresulting in a milky white suspension. The pH was found to be 5.12. ThepH was adjusted to 7.97 with 0.2N NaOH resulting in a clear solution.The resulting solution was poured into a waste influent tank of acompact drainage system. A chromatograph of the initial drug mixture isillustrated in FIG. 9. Note that peaks at 2.675, 3.815, 4.171 and 5.375are clear, corresponding to hydrocodone, diltiazem OH, diltiazem andWarfarin, respectively.

The entire contents of the waste influent tank were pumped into theneutralizer tank 40 and the circulation pump 42 was turned on. A 10 mLaliquot of the solution was removed, filtered, and labeled as t0 (timezero). The total number of mols of drugs was 5.04 mmols. 2.86 mL ofhydrogen peroxide (30%) 2.86 mL (25.2 mmols, 5 molar eqs) followed by12.6 mL of the aqueous iron solution (12.6 mmols, 2.5 molar eqs) weredischarged from the hydrogen peroxide container and the aqueous ironcontainer, respectively, and sequentially added to the neutralizer tank.The solution turned brown and cloudy, but a few minutes later it clearedalthough remaining brown. A sample was obtained at 10 minutes (10 mLaliquot) via syringe and pushed through a 0.45 micron syringe filterinto an HPLC vial for analysis and labeled t10. A portion of thecirculating mixture was run through the carbon filter and collected.

A second delivery of 2.86 mL of hydrogen peroxide (30%) followed by 12.6mL of the aqueous iron solution were discharged from the hydrogenperoxide container and the aqueous iron container, respectively, andadded to the neutralizer tank sequentially. Some brown foam wasobserved, but this did not cause any circulation problems. At 20 minutesand 30 minutes a 10 mL aliquot was removed via syringe and pushedthrough a 0.45 micron syringe filter into a HPLC vial for analysis andlabeled t20 and t30, respectively. A portion of the circulating mixturewas run through the carbon filter and collected at each time point.

A third delivery of 2.86 mL of hydrogen peroxide (30%) followed by 12.6mL of the aqueous iron solution were discharged from the hydrogenperoxide container and the aqueous iron container, respectively, andadded to the neutralizer tank sequentially. After a total of 40 minutesand 50 minutes, 10 mL aliquots were removed via syringe and pushedthrough a 0.45 micron syringe filter into a HPLC vial for analysis andlabeled t40 and t50, respectively. A portion of the circulating mixturewas run through the carbon filter and collected at each time point.

After the experiment, the waste influent tank, the neutralizer tank andall circulation lines were flushed twice with water from the watercontainer and drained.

After the completion of all the sample analyses, the 40 minute filteredsample was run on the LC/MS to determine the extent of the degradation.

Table 1 lists the results of the experiment.

TABLE 1 Average % Volume Volume Degraded of 30% of 1N Total in Time DrugPeroxide FeSO₄ Peroxide/Drug Peroxide/Fe Filtered (minutes)Concentration (mL) (mL) (Meq) Ratio Samples 10 5.04 mM 1 × 2.86 1 × 12.65 2 95.2% 20 5.04 mM 2 × 2.86 2 × 12.6 10 2 98.5% 30 5.04 mM — — 10 298.0% 40 5.04 mM 3 × 2.86 3 × 12.6 15 2  100%

As seen in Table 1, after 10 minutes, 3.28% hydrocodone, 5.36%diltiazem, and 5.65% warfarin remained in the water. After 20 minutesand the second dose of Fenton's reagent, 0.12% hydrocodone, 1.41%diltiazem, and 3.12% warfarin remained in the water. After 30 minutes,and no additional dose of Fenton's reagent, there was no significantchange. After 40 minutes and the third dose of Fenton's reagent, therewas no detectable amount remaining of any of the three drugs. Achromatograph of the t40 filtered sample is illustrated in FIG. 5. Atthe 50 minute time point, the results were the same, and the experimentterminated.

The concentration of drugs remaining in the carbon filtered samples werenot significantly different from the results obtained from the samplesthat were syringe filtered, indicating that carbon filter did not have asignificant UV adsorption given the minimal contact time with thecarbon.

The Mass Spectrum (MS) analysis results showed a trace amount of adi-oxygenated dilitazem product, which could not be quantified. No otherdrug related compounds could be found in the MS. The low mass cut offfor mass detection is 150 amu, so there were no other drug relatedproducts with a mass greater than 150 amu, indicating the drugs werefully degraded to carbon fragments.

From the data obtained in the experiment, at least a 15 fold molarexcess of Fenton's reagent is utilized to completely degrade 100% of thedrugs. This amount may vary according to the composition ofpharmaceutical waste present in the waste influent tank 10.

As demonstrated by the Example above, the compact drainage system 100 iscapable of effectively treating pharmaceutical waste at a location atwhich the pharmaceutical waste is disposed (i.e., at a sink if thepharmaceutical waste is poured down the sink), and by a person thatdisposed of the pharmaceutical waste. The chemical reaction occurs inthe absence of ultraviolet (UV) light.

For the purposes of this disclosure and unless otherwise specified, “a”or “an” means “one or more.”

Technical and scientific terms used herein have the meanings commonlyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presentinvention pertains, unless otherwise defined. Reference is made hereinto various methodologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.Publications and other materials setting forth such known methodologiesto which reference is made are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties as though set forth in full. Any suitable materials and/ormethods known to those of ordinary skill in the art can be utilized incarrying out the present invention. However, specific materials andmethods are described. Materials, reagents and the like to whichreference is made in the following description and examples areobtainable from commercial sources, unless otherwise noted.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” designate boththe singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate thesingular only. Likewise, singular forms of terms designate both thesingular and plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singularonly.

The term “about” in connection with numerical values and ranges meansthat the number comprehended is not limited to the exact number setforth herein, and is intended to refer to ranges substantially withinthe quoted range while not departing from the scope of the invention. Asused herein, “about” will be understood by persons of ordinary skill inthe art and will vary to some extent on the context in which it is used.

One of ordinary skill in the art will readily realize that all rangesdiscussed can and do necessarily also describe all subranges therein forall purposes, and that all such subranges also form part and parcel ofthis invention. Any listed range can be easily recognized assufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken downinto at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As anon-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily brokendown into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc.

While some embodiments have been illustrated and described, it should beunderstood that changes and modifications can be made therein inaccordance with ordinary skill in the art without departing from theinvention in its broader aspects as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A compact system for treating pharmaceuticalwaste at a location at which the pharmaceutical waste is disposed, thesystem comprising: a waste influent tank configured to hold anddischarge a fluid comprising pharmaceutical waste; a first containerconfigured to hold and discharge hydrogen peroxide utilized in achemical reaction to treat the pharmaceutical waste; a second containerconfigured to hold and discharge aqueous iron solution utilized in thechemical reaction to treat the pharmaceutical waste; a neutralizer tankin which the chemical reaction is carried out; and a drain containerconfigured to receive treated fluid; wherein the system excludes a UVlight source.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the waste influent tank,the first container and the second container are arranged in paralleland are configured to discharge the contents thereof to the neutralizertank.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first container and thesecond container are arranged in parallel and the system is configuredto discharge the contents of the first container and the contents of thesecond container sequentially.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thesecond container comprises a hermetically sealed bag.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the drain container is configured to discharge treatedfluid to a waste water treatment facility at a location different from alocation of the system.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising awater container configured to hold and dispense water downstream of theneutralizer tank.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a watercontainer configured to hold and dispense water.
 8. The system of claim7, wherein the water container is configured to dispense water to becirculated in a loop from an outlet of the neutralizer tank to an inletof the neutralizer tank.
 9. The system of claim 7 further comprising astatic flow mixer disposed between an outlet of the neutralizer tank andan inlet of the neutralizer tank, the static flow mixer configured tomix fluid discharged from the neutralizer tank and water discharged fromthe water container prior to entering the inlet of the neutralizer tank.10. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one filterconfigured to filter fluid discharged from the neutralizer tank.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the at least one filter comprises a bulkfilter or a carbon filter.
 12. The system of claim 1 further comprisinga drip pan configured to collect any fluid or solid material that leaksfrom the system.
 13. The system of claim 1 further comprising at leastone sensor configured to measure a level, a pressure, or a temperatureof the waste influent tank, the at least one container, or theneutralizer tank.
 14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a userinterface configured to allow a user to control a rate of discharge ofat least one of the waste influent tank, the at least one container, andthe neutralizer tank.
 15. A method of treating pharmaceutical waste, themethod comprising: providing pharmaceutical waste in a waste influenttank; providing hydrogen peroxide in a first container, the hydrogenperoxide configured to be utilized in a chemical reaction to treat thepharmaceutical waste; providing aqueous iron solution in a secondcontainer, the aqueous iron solution configured to be utilized in thechemical reaction to treat the pharmaceutical waste; discharging thepharmaceutical waste, the hydrogen peroxide and the aqueous ironsolution to a neutralizer tank; carrying out a chemical reaction betweenthe pharmaceutical waste, the hydrogen peroxide and the aqueous ironsolution within the neutralizer tank; and discharging a treated fluid toa drain container.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the hydrogenperoxide and the aqueous iron solution are discharged to the neutralizertank sequentially.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprisingfiltering the treated fluid discharged from the neutralizer tank priorto discharging the treated fluid to the drain container.
 18. The methodof claim 15, further comprising circulating fluid discharged from anoutlet of the neutralizer tank through a static flow mixer to an inletof the neutralizer tank.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprisingcontrolling a rate of discharge of at least one of the waste influenttank, the at least one container, and the neutralizer tank via a userinterface.